MovieChat Forums > All Creatures Great & Small (1978) Discussion > Old Helen or New?

Old Helen or New?

posted 18 years ago by Elanor000
58 replies | jump to latest

I much prefer Carol Drinkwater to Lynda Bellingham. The new one (Lynda) is probably closer to the REAL Helen, but I still like Carol better. Which do you like?

~Elanor

[–] QueenBeez 9 years ago

Old Helen for sure! Carol Drinkwater made the character seem more warm and charming, really caring about the practice and the guys, not that I'm sure Lynda Bellingham couldn't have played her that way too. There seemed to be a lot of "behind the series hush hush talk" going on at the time and I'm quite sure Lynda was told to "tone it down". After the actress change, I didn't watch it anymore the first viewing around. Now I have watched it, still not fond of the Lynda Bellingham version, but it's not as bad as I once thought. Her version lacked something - the charm? the warmth? Just my opinion.

Anyone else besides me think that Carol Drinkwater seemed to have more chemistry with Peter Davidson (Tristan) than James? I can't explain why, but from the very time watching (1978- season 4 to now enjoying on youtube here in 2015, I still think that.

Fasten your seat belts. Its going to be a bumpy night!
~Bette Davis in All About Eve

[–] louiseculmer 9 years ago

definitely the first. Carol Drinkwater is much more attractive and charming than lynda bellingham. Joan Wight (the real helen) is supposed to have been a very attractive woman, though there don't seem to be many photos of her, even in her son's biography there is only one from 1951, and another when she was much older.

[–] youngsteve 7 years ago

Carol Drinkwater was so much better & had chemistry with Christopher Timothy, not surprising as they were an item in real life. Lynda Bellingham's Helen is overbearing & more like a mother than a wife. Should have ended the program after the third series, as it went down in quality after that.

[–] 7 years ago

[deleted]

[–] louiseculmer 7 years ago

i agree it went down in quality. the first three seasons were based on the six books herriot had written at that time, and i think all the best stories were used up. then he wrote another book, publshed in 1981, which the two tv 'specials' from 1983 and 85 are based on. I understand he didn't intend to write any more after that, but the BBc persuaded him to allow them to make more stories based around the characters - the difference shows i think. But i do think they might have found someone more suitable than lynda bellingham to take over the part of Helen.

[–] Who (5146) 2 years ago

Rachel Shenton!

[–] PoolOfZenda (40) 9 months ago

I don't really remember carol in the part as I was a bit young and really only remember Lynda in the role, but watching the series now I much prefer Carol in the part, although I still think Lynda done a decent job as her replacement.